2018 NJ STATE PBA Collective Bargaining Seminar
36 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ FEBRUARY 2018
No attention span challenges for Piscataway Township Local
As soon as attorney Frank Crivelli of Crivelli & Barbati , LLC , concluded his presentation “ Preparing for the Negotiation Process ,” members of Little Falls Local 346 began crunching numbers . Given a contract that expires in 2019 , Local 346 State Delegate Ryan Hoyt figured there was no better time to run the calculator and see how the Local could better find ways to improve salary and benefits for members .
“ We ’ re going over how to increase the disparity between our rank-and-file members ,” Hoyt explained as he and two other Local 346 reps huddled around a piece of scrap paper covered with numbers and dollar signs . “ We ’ re seeing how we can go about structuring our salary guide using the information we got today .” Hoyt knows that even in a 30-member Local like his own ,
Call them small steps toward Trenton Local 11 building depth of knowledge in operational matters . But then after digesting the data Ray Ciprio and Marc Pfeiffer presented in the Financial Analysis seminar , apparently small steps work best .
Mike Cipriano Jr . joined the Local 11 delegation to glean information for younger members like himself . He has been on the job for a year and a half and is getting involved with the Local to bring information back to the newer members .
One of the big issues has been understanding the number of salary steps that seem to grow with every contract . The Financial Analysis presentation helped him understand why .
“ With the newer hires , it ’ s tough because it ’ s a career worth of steps ,” Cipriano submitted . “ That section showed the cost of inflation as compared to the steps and how to keep up with the cost of living , as well as the steps they have extended that out to .”
Tim Miller , who just moved up to financial secretary on the Local 11 E-board and has 14 years on the job , attended his first Collective Bargaining Seminar this year . The session on Retirement and Disability Pensions from Christopher Gray of Sciarra
There ’ s no denying that the Collective Bargaining Seminar can be a voluminous few days , with enough information to nearly overflow the giant resource binder provided to attendees . When it comes to staying tuned in , Piscataway Township Local 93 State Delegate Daniel Nee credits the quality of the content and the presentation skills of the speakers .
“ I believe it ’ s the presentations given by the speakers that keep it interesting ,” Nee remarked . “ Members who are interested are able to maintain their attention throughout just based on the material and the speakers .”
Discussions led by attorneys Stuart Alterman on “ Officers ’ Rights ” and Robert Fagella about “ Understanding and Navigating Arbitration , PERC and Civil Service ” are what Nee insists makes the collective bargaining seminar a must-see for all members . When it comes to negotiating a successful contract , Nee says there ’ s no better resource than the Collective Bargaining Seminar .
“ Not only is it just the older guys who are doing contract negotiations ,” he stressed . “ We want the younger guys to come so when we ’ re ready to retire , we have them coming up the ranks behind us to provide that knowledge and negotiate contracts successfully .”
Besides the obvious gain of knowing how to negotiate , Nee acknowledged how important it is to stay informed on new policies that apply to current trends and challenges that law enforcement continually face .
“ It ’ s about being able to protect your members should something arise in a disciplinary nature ,” Nee detailed when referring to Alterman ’ s points about Garrity rights . “ They ’ ve also made recommendations on the use of social media and what to share and what not to share .” d
Little Falls Local runs the numbers
there ’ s no way to please everybody under one contract . But he ’ s determined to try using the guidance provided at the Collective Bargaining Seminar in Local 346 ’ s negotiations .
“ From here , we ’ ll use the advice put forward to form a negotiations committee ,” he shared . “ Negotiating contracts is the most time-consuming thing that we do .”
Even though Hoyt acknowledges the time commitment and sacrifice that are typically made while putting together a new contract , he knows how necessary it is to give members what they deserve .
“ We ’ re trying to do the best we can for everybody in our membership ,” Hoyt stressed . “ Without this seminar , we wouldn ’ t
have as many tools to get that job done .” d
Trenton Local 11 takes it step by step
& Catrambone , LLC and PBA Pension Benefits Coordinator Pete Andreyev was one of several that provided exactly what he came for .
“ The conclusions we come to , it ’ s not as cut and dried as everybody thinks , so at least this time I can have educated answers ,” Miller disclosed . “ We have so many members who have questions and don ’ t know the answers . We can give them educated answers so they ’ re not , ‘ I heard this , I heard this , I heard this .’”
As far as serving the youth in the Local , Cipriano recognized that the best answers might have come from the Officers ’ Rights presentation .
“ It ’ s huge because I think some of the younger guys are intimidated by things that may or may not come up ,” he explained . “ We can tell them that they do have rights they can invoke , as far as representation from the PBA or an attorney . So when they get frustrated about different things , we can explain how the process works and how we come to an agreement .” d